REVELATION: A Study Series – By William T. Griffin, edited by Jessica N. Engle

 

INTRODUCTION

 

I have read and studied the book of Revelation countless times over the years. During this time I have used a number of commentaries that have contributed greatly to my understanding. In no particular order they are: Thru the Bible series by J. Vernon McGee; the New Scofield Reference Bible, 1967 edition (my grandfather’s Bible); the Perry Stone Hebraic Prophetic Study Bible; Kenneth S. Wuest’s Greek Word Study of the New Testament and his expanded translation of the New Testament; The Works of Josephus translated by William Whiston (specifically The Wars of the Jews, which give a fascinating eyewitness account of the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple by Titus’ Tenth Roman Legion in 70 A.D., as foretold almost 40 years earlier by Christ himself); and countless other historical records too numerous to mention here.

 

I hold to a futurist interpretation of Revelation. As Vernon McGee explains: “It sees the Book of Revelation as primarily prophetic. It begins with the revelation of the glorified Christ. Then the church is brought before us, and the whole history of the church is given. Then, at the end of chapter 3, the church goes to heaven and we see it, not as the church anymore, but as the bride which will come to earth with Christ when he comes to establish His kingdom – that thousand-year reign that John will tell us about. It will be a time of testing, for at the end of that period Satan will be released for a brief season. Then the final rebellion is put down and eternity begins”.

 

I have noticed over the years that many people don’t like the Book of Revelation. The general consensus among most is that it is too complex, too difficult to understand due to the symbology, and flat out terrifying in its imagery and content. Much of this is due to a lack of understanding of scripture in its entirety. If you try to read Revelation without a thorough knowledge of the 65 books that come before it, it is an exercise in futility.

 

 Another one of the issues is that people cannot reconcile their concept of a loving God with the wrath they see poured out on the earth during the Tribulation. How can a loving God subject this planet to His wrath? What is often misunderstood is that although God is indeed a loving God, he is also Holy and Just. If he loves what is good then by that logic he must also hate what is evil. He either does both or neither. A sinful an unrepentant world demands judgment or he wouldn’t be God, and more to the point, he wouldn’t be a loving God. Ultimately, the question isn’t “Why is he doing this?” but instead, “Why is it taking Him so long?”

 

Regarding the symbology used, I believe that Revelation is to be taken literally. Also, symbols in the Bible are remarkably consistent. When a symbol is used it will be so stated. It will be symbolic of reality, and the reality will be more real than the symbol for the simple reason that John uses symbols to describe reality. Additionally, he may have also used symbols to describe certain locations or events that would have brought additional persecution on the Christians of the day and possibly the destruction of the Book itself if stated plainly. Any perceived challenge to the Roman Empire was usually met with immediate, and violent, opposition.

 

Reading on you will find several references to the Rapture, which I will briefly address here. There are three theological positions on the Tribulation: theologians who believe in the seven-year Tribulation often differ on the timing of the catching away of the saints and resurrection of the dead in Christ. The pre-tribulation view holds that Christ will return for the believers before the seven-year Tribulation begins, or near the beginning of the seven years (see Rev. 4:1-2). The mid-tribulation view teaches the catching away will occur sometime in the middle of the seven years, placing the timing within Revelation 11,12 or 13. The post-tribulation view expresses the idea that there is one return of Christ, at the conclusion of the Tribulation, placing the event at His return to rule on earth.

 

Finally, I would like to point out that I have never attended seminary, am unlikely to do so at this stage of my life, and this collection of relevant notes is not intended to be exhaustive. There have been volumes of outstanding commentaries written on Revelation over the years and I have merely tried to highlight some of the better ones that I have stumbled across. I would also like to take this time to point out that if you are reading this and are not a Christian, my fervent wish is for this to literally scare the hell out of you. The only hope I see going forward is to accept Christ as one’s personal savior to escape the judgment that is coming. There is no reason to be here as it unfolds.

 

Chapters 1-3

 

The Revelation, the concluding book of the scriptures, unfolds the great events bringing history to consummation, including the revelation of Jesus Christ at His second advent. The word “revelation”, used as the title of the book, is from the Latin revelatio, which means (as does the Greek word apokalupsis, from which the English word apocalypse is derived) “disclosure of that which was previously hidden or unknown.”

 

The book is a record of what the Apostle John saw and heard. This occurred while he was a political prisoner of the Roman Emperor Domitian. Scholars believe it was written around 95 A.D from the island of Patmos, a small rocky volcanic island located in the Aegean Sea off the coast of modern-day Turkey. In John’s day, the worst political prisoners were confined to hard labor on this island.[1] After Domitian’s death, John was released and sent back to Ephesus where he made copies of the Revelation for the seven churches.[2] The book is part of biblical eschatology, a word derived from the Greek word eschatos meaning “last, utmost or extreme” and logos, meaning “word”. It therefore means “the last word” or “last things”.

 

There are six striking features about this book:

 1) It is the only prophetic book in the New Testament. There are seventeen prophetic books in the Old Testament

2) John reaches farther back into eternity past than any other writer in scripture. He does this in his gospel which opens with: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. Then he moves to the time of creation: “All things were made by Him and without Him nothing was made”. Then, he reaches on into eternity future and the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

 3) There is a special blessing which is promised to the readers of this book: “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand”. Kenneth Wuest translates it this way: “Spiritually prosperous is he who reads in the worship assembly of the local church and spiritually prosperous are those who hear the words of this prophecy and observe the things which in it have been written and are on record, for the strategic, epochal season is imminent (Rev. 1:3)”. There is also a warning given for those who tamper with its contents (Rev. 22: 18-19).

 4) It is not a sealed book. Daniel was told to seal the book until the time of the end (Daniel 12:9) but John is told: “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand”

5) It is a series of visions expressed in symbols that deal with reality. John was trying to convey as best as he could some of the things he saw happening in the future using terminology of the day. In any case, the literal interpretation is always preferred unless John makes it clear that it is otherwise

 6) It is like a great union station where the great trunk lines of prophecy have come from other portions of scripture. Revelation does not originate or begin anything. Rather it consummates and concludes that which has begun elsewhere in scripture.

 

Revelation is divided into 22 chapters and summarizes, as previously stated, what many Old Testament prophets predicted concerning God’s judgment and the unleashing of His wrath at the time of the end. John revealed Satan’s final assault against Israel, Jerusalem, and the Jewish people. In chapters 5-7, six judgments are released from a seven-sealed book. In chapters 8-10, there are six judgments released by six angels with trumpets. In chapter 16, six angels with vials or bowls release six more judgments. Chapters 1-3 were a message to seven churches in John’s day, while chapters 4-22 are futuristic.

 

In verse one there is a phrase stating, “to show unto His servants things that must shortly come to pass”. It means “to come to pass quickly”. Once the judgment begins, it will take place in a hurry.

 

In verse 10 John states that “I was in the spirit on the Lord’s Day”. It has been suggested as referring to the Sabbath day. However, John would have used “Sabbath” and not Lord’s Day if this interpretation were correct. Some very good expositors teach that John was referring to Sunday; however, in this case he would have written “on the first day of the week”, a term used in that day for Sunday (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2). The best interpretation is that the “Lord’s Day” alludes to the day of God’s judgment called the Day of the Lord in the Old Testament (Isa. 2:12; 13:6,9; 34:8; Joel 2:31) and in 1 Thess. 5:2 and 2 Peter 3:10. The trumpet-type voice is God’s voice, often compared to a trumpet (Exodus 19:16-19).

 

Christ’s message to the seven churches contained in the first 3 chapters have a number of things that need to be addressed. The letters are addressed to the angel of each church. Scholars agree that the angel in this case is just a human messenger who is the pastor of the church. He first gives a word of commendation and then he gives a word of condemnation. That is His method but the exceptions should be noted. There is no word of condemnation to Smryna or Philadelphia. Smryna was the martyr church and He is not about to condemn that church. Philadelphia was the missionary church that was getting out His Word and He didn’t condemn it. He has no word of commendation for Laodicea, the apostate church.

 

The seven churches were located in seven major churches located throughout Asia Minor, which today is the region of modern-day Turkey. The name of each city has a specific meaning: 1) Ephesus – the desired one; 2) Smyrna – myrrh; 3) Pergamum – united, married; 4) Thyatira – continual sacrifice; 5) Sardis – a remnant, escaping; 6) Philadelphia – brotherly love; and 7) Laodicea – the rights (or rule) of the people.

 

The city at Smyrna was a seaport city but an increase of silt over time made port entry difficult for ships. It was a wealthy city, popular because of the science, medicine, and amazing architecture. It was also a very political city that housed many Christians who were poor and persecuted. The chief goddess was Cybele and her temple was the largest in the city. Cybele’s followers marked a day when they cut themselves, dancing into a frenzy. The male priests were castrated – becoming “third gender”, meaning neither male nor female (they would fit right in today). Smyrna was noted for oracles, where spirits would speak through a priestess (this was demonic). The saints were poor in material things, but rich in their faith and love of the Lord. The stadium in Smyrna held 20,000 and for years was a site for executing Christians. Smyrna was told in Rev. 2:10 that they would have tribulation ten days. This refers to the ten intense periods of persecution by ten Roman emperors (dates approximate):

1. Nero – 64-68 (Paul was beheaded under his reign);

2. Domitian – 95-96 (John’s exile);  

3. Trajan – 104-117 (Ignatius was burned at the stake[3]);

4. Marcus Aurelius – 161-180 (Polycarp’s martyrdom[4]);

5. Severus 200-211;  

6. Maximinius – 235-237;  

7. Decius – 250-253;  

8. Valerian – 257-260;  

9. Aurelian – 270-275;

10. Diocletian – 303-313 (worst of the lot.)

 

There is some debate among scholars concerning a theory (which I believe) that teaches these seven churches represent seven different church ages, beginning with the apostolic church and progressing to the lukewarm church represented by Laodicea. The Laodicean church represents the spiritual condition of the church prior to Christ’s return. The seven prophetic time periods are basically divided as follows: 1) Ephesus – The Apostolic Church, 30-100; 2) Smyrna – The Persecuted Church, 100-312; 3) Pergamos - The Roman Church, 313-600; 4) Thyatira – The Dark Ages, 600-1517; 5) Sardis – The Reformation, 1517-1700; 6) Philadelphia – The Missions Church, 1648-21st century; 7) Laodicea – The Lukewarm Church, the present situation.

 

In Rev. 3:10, Christ tells the church at Philadelphia “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth”. Christ’s final word of encouragement to His church is that it will not pass through the great Tribulation. The church is to be removed from the world (Thess. 4:13-18), which is its comfort and hope (Titus 2:13). The church is not anticipating the Great Tribulation with all of its judgment but rather is looking for Him to come. The “hour of temptation” is definitely a reference to the Great Tribulation – it’s world-wide. After the preliminaries are put down in chapters 4-5, you have presented the Great Tribulation Period. This is the period that he says is coming upon all the world to test those that are upon the earth. “I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation”. He says that He will keep them not only from that terrible holocaust that is coming on this earth, that period of judgment, but also from the hour of temptation. This is a complete deliverance. A better translation would be “keep thee out of the hour of trial”. By any stretch of the imagination you could not say the church is going through the Great Tribulation Period. However, the church of Laodicea is an organization which will continue on in the world, the apostate church, and they will be going through the Great Tribulation.

 

Nicolaitans: The deeds of the Nicolaitans are referred to in letters to Ephesus and Pergamum, commending Ephesus for hating them and condemning Pergamum for tolerating them. So who were the Nicolaitans? Apparently, there was a man by the name of Nicolaus of Antioch who was apostatized from the truth and formed a Gnostic cult, which taught (among other doctrines) that one must indulge in sin in order to understand it. They gave themselves over to sensuality with the explanation that such sins did not touch the spirit.

 

Chapter 4

 

Notes on the Prophetic Time in the Apocalypse from Chapter 4 to Chapter 19: Here, chapter 4 begins a transition in the vision of John, from the church age to the events surrounding the Tribulation. Those who believe that Revelation chapters 4-22 are all future events often place the timing of the catching away (rapture) here at the end of the “church age” (chapters 2-3) and the beginning of John being “caught up” to God’s throne, thus initiating the seven-year Tribulation. This period of time is also termed Daniel’s seventieth week (see Daniel 9:24-27). Daniel 9:27 refers to the last seven years when the Antichrist will control a final kingdom. Also in Daniel 9:27, the seven-years time frame is divided into two halves, when the prince leader (Antichrist) breaks covenant in the middle of the seven years. In Revelation, chapters, 4-13 cover the first half of the Tribulation, and the second half begins in 13:5 and continues until the day Christ returns at the conclusion of the seven years (see Rev. 19:11-14). The first half of the Tribulation is 1260 days and the second half is 1260 days (see Rev. 11:2,3; 12:6; 13:5), or 42 months, and 42 months. The Tribulation also releases God’s wrath on earth. The first half is identified with the “wrath of the Lamb” (Rev. 6:16) and the second half is the “wrath of God” (Rev. 14:10; 16:1). These two halves are also parallel to the morning and evening services at the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. The Jewish day was divided into two halves of twelve hours each (see John 11:9). The first part of the “day” began at 6:00 in the morning and continued to 6:00 in the evening (at sunset) – or twelve hours. The second part began at sunset (6:00 in the evening) and lasted until 6:00 the next morning – a total of twelve hours. Thus the priestly ministry at the Temple was divided into two halves: the morning service (6:00 to 6:00) and the evening service (6:00 to 6:00). The evening services are mentioned in Ps. 92:2; 134:1 and 1 Chron. 9:33; 23-30. The heavenly Temple ritual observed in Revelation chapters 2-5 is similar to what actually occurred on earth during the early part of the morning services. This included the cleaning of the seven-branched Menorah (the imagery of Christ’s purging of the churches in Revelation 2 and 3) and the incense offered on the golden altar (the heavenly incense and prayers of all saints alluded to in Revelation 5:8). At the earthly Temple, the priest took large keys and opened the doors for worshipers to enter the sacred platform. Likewise, John saw a door open in heaven allowing him (and the saints) to enter directly into the heavenly Temple (see Rev. 4:1-2). In Jerusalem, the multitudes would worship as priests prepared the sacrificial lamb, which is similar to the order in heaven when the Lamb (Christ) is introduced (see 5:6) and the heavenly multitude worships God (see 5:9-14).

 

Transitioning from the church age to the Tribulation: Scholars have noted the transition from the messages to the seven churches to the judgments being poured out upon the nations. Revelation 4 initiates three different themes at once. The first is the close of the church age. We are presently in the “dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph. 3:2) and the “dispensation of the Gospel” (1 Cor. 9-17,18), a God-appointed time for the church to exercise stewardship and administrate the affairs of God’s Kingdom on the earth. When this dispensation concludes, another will occur, which will introduce the 1000-year physical Kingdom of Christ in Jerusalem. The church age concludes with the catching away of the saints (see Thess. 4-16-17) and the resurrection of the dead in Christ (see 1 Cor. 15:52). John heard a voice like a trumpet (Rev. 4:1), which agrees with the imagery of Paul’s revelation, that the trumpet of God sounds when Christ returns (see Thess. 4:16; 1 Cor. 15:52). Revelation 4:1 tells us John was transported through a “door” opened in heaven. In the parable of the ten virgins, the five wise virgins were taken to the wedding (through a door) and after entering the wedding, the “door was shut” (Matt. 25:10). John also heard the words “Come up hither” (meaning “come up here”). After hearing “Come up hither”, John is immediately taken up from Patmos to heaven, just as believers will be instantly changed (1 Cor. 15:52) and then “caught up” (1 Thess. 4:16-17).[5] Some suggest Christ will “shout” these words when He descends since the dead and the living will be caught up to meet the Lord. [6]

​

Each morning at the earthly Temple, the priest’s first act was to open the huge doors and allow morning worshipers to enter the sacred compound. Christ holds the keys to death and hell (see Rev. 1:18) and controls the opening and closing of the doors (see Rev. 3:8). Since believers are considered a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), we will enter the heavenly Temple as worshipers, offering sacrifices of praise to the Lamb (Christ) for redeeming us (see Rev. 5:9).

 

In verse 4, it states “and round about the throne were four and twenty seats; and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold”. So who are the twenty-four elders? There has been a great deal of speculation regarding their identity. One holds to the view that the elders represent the Church. This view notes that the word “elder”, translated from the Greek word presbuteros, has Church significance (1 Tim. 5:17; Titus 1:5). Crowns throughout the New Testament are exclusively presented as rewards for the faithful in the church. These elders sit on thrones which are associated with the central judgment throne of God (v. 2-4; 1 Cor. 6:2-3; 2 Tim. 2:12) The appearance of these elders, already glorified, crowned and enthroned before the opening of the sealed book of judgment (ch. 5) and before the end-time judgments are loosed upon the world (ch. 6-18), reaffirms that the church is not to be subjected to the judicial wrath and judgments of that time (see John 5:24; Rom. 5:9; 1 Thess. 1:10; 5:1-11; Rev. 3:10).

However, there is another school of thought makes the following observations: “John saw twenty-four elders sitting upon twenty-four thrones surrounding God’s throne. The elder’s imagery can be seen in the twenty-four courses of priests who served at the Temple in Jerusalem. These twenty-four heavenly elders are believed to be the twelve sons of Jacob from the first covenant and the twelve apostles of Christ from the second covenant (see Luke 22:30). At the heavenly judgment, the twelve sons of Jacob representing the twelve tribes of Israel will assist in judging the Old Testament saints, and the twelve apostles of Christ will assist in judging those throughout the church ages who received the new covenant in Christ. Throughout the entire Book of Revelation, these twenty-four elders remain in the heavenly throne room. Their clothing is white, similar to the garments the ancient priests wore. Their headdresses were golden crowns, from the Greek word stephanos, which was a crown awarded as a prize for winning in the games. The elders fall on their faces when the Lamb (Christ) is introduced (see Rev. 5:8,14), and when the angels and beasts worship (see Rev. 7:11). They lie prostrate prior to the Bema judgment (see Rev. 11:16) and again after Babylon is judged (see Rev. 19:4). The elders have harps and sing a new song (see Rev. 5:8-10). The word “new” is used nine times in seven verses in Revelation (2:17; 3:12; 5:9; 14:3; 21:1,2,5).” I think there is merit to both points of view here but I am leaning toward the second. I also don’t think it’s doctrinally important to take one view over the other.

 

In verses 7-8, John saw four fascinating creatures called beasts. The Greek word for beasts is zoon and is best translated as “living creatures”. Another word translated as beast in the Greek is therion, and is used to refer to the Antichrist and False Prophet (see Rev. 13:1-4; 11-15). This Greek word therion, refers to a wild and dangerous beast, thus its use in the symbolism of the Antichrist – the beast with seven heads and ten horns (see Rev. 13:1-2).

I agree with those who identify each of these living creatures with the Gospel it represents. “The first living creature was like a lion”, and the first Gospel represents the Lord Jesus as the King. He was born a King, He lived a King, He died a King, He was raised a King, and He is coming back again as King. Everything He does in the Gospel of Matthew He does as the King. Remember that God said that the tribe of Judah was like a lion, that the King, the Ruler, would come from that tribe; and that the scepter would not depart from Judah until Shiloh came (see Gen. 49:9-10; Rev. 5:5). “The second living creature was like a calf (ox).” This is the beast of burden, the servant animal domesticated. In the Gospel of Mark, Christ is presented as the Servant. There is no genealogy given in this Gospel, as the question isn’t who His ancestors were but whether or not He could do the job. “The third living creature had a face as a man.” The third Gospel, the Gospel of Luke, presents the Lord Jesus as the Son of Man. It is His humanity that is emphasized. “The fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.” He communicates the deity of Christ as seen in the Gospel of John.[7]

 

 Foot Notes

 

[1] John would have been 95 years old at the time. Also note that John had been given care of Christ’s mother Mary. History records that John left Jerusalem with Mary between the years AD 37 to 44, settling in Ephesus where he lived for 27 years. Church traditions say he was at Patmos for 18 months and lived in a cave at the top of the island acropolis overlooking the sea.

​

[2] Domitian was the first emperor to view the Christians as a threat to the empire. Up to this time it had been mostly local and random persecutions initiated by authorities and magistrates in a particular area.

​

[3] According to some Christian historians, Ignatius was the child Jesus was holding when he told his disciples to allow the little children to come to him.

​

[4] Polycarp was also burned at the stake and his body was stabbed after the fire failed to consume it. It is estimated up to 5 million Christians died as martyrs in the first three centuries of the faith.

​

[5] The Greek word for “caught up” is harpazo, and means “to snatch away or catch away using force”. This word implies a sudden seizing of something and is used to describe a thief who secretly snatches goods from someone. One of the English words used to describe this event is the Rapture, which refers to the raising of the righteous dead and catching away of the living saints when Christ returns in the air. The word rapture is not found in the English translation of the New Testament, but evolved out of the Latin Vulgate translation, in which the phrase “caught up” was translated as “rapiermur” from the verb “rapere”, which was translated for the phrase “we shall be caught up”. In Latin, the various forms of this verb mean “to drag off, snatch up, seize, or to carry away”. Thus, the English equivalent is the word “rapture”. (The New Testament was written in Greek, and the Vulgate was St. Jerome’s Latin translation from the Greek, written in the late fourth and fifth century in Bethlehem. The Latin word “vulgate” means “common” in English. In Jerome’s day, the western half of the church used Latin and eastern half used Greek. This is why Jerome was commissioned to translate the Bible from Greek to Latin.)

​

[6] Note that John is immediately in the Spirit (4:2). The wording and imagery found in Revelation 4:1-2 create a strong argument in favor of the rapture occurring at this time in the vision. This would be a pre-Tribulation return, as the Tribulation judgments follow John after he is “caught up”.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

Chapter 5

 

Before we start our journey into the judgments of God upon the earth during the Tribulation, it would be a good time to give an overview of the Tribulation and why it’s necessary. The other issue that should be addressed is when, in relation to the rapture, will the Tribulation start? I am indebted to Tim LaHaye for his excellent analysis of the Tribulation and it’s references in both the Old and New Testaments.

 

"The Tribulation period is given more space in Scripture than any other comparable event. There is more space allocated to the Tribulation than the 1000-year Millennial kingdom, heaven, hell or any subject except salvation and the promise of Christ’s second coming. It is mentioned at least 49 times by the Hebrew prophets and at least 15 times in the New Testament:

 

OLD TESTAMENT TRIBULATION REFERENCES

 

The Time of Jacob’s Trouble……. Jeremiah 30:7

The Seventieth Week of Daniel…Daniel 9:27

Jehovah’s Strange Work……………Isaiah 28:21

Jehovah’s Strange Act………………. Isaiah 28:21

The Days of Israel’s Calamity……. Deuteronomy 32:35; Obadiah 12-14

The Tribulation……………………….Deuteronomy 4:30

The Indignation…………………….....Isaiah 26:20; Daniel 11:36

The Overflowing Scourge………….Isaiah 28:15,18

The Day of Vengeance………………Isaiah 34:8; 35:4; 61:2

The Year of Recompense…………..Isaiah 34:8

The Time of Trouble………………...Daniel 12:1; Zephaniah 1:15

The Day of Wrath……………………..Zephaniah 1:15

The Day of Distress…………………..Zephaniah 1:15

The Day of Wasteness………………Zephaniah 1:15

The Day of Desolation………………Zephaniah 1:15

The Day of Darkness………………Zephaniah 1:15; Amos 5:18,20; Joel 2:2

The Day of Gloominess…………..Zephaniah 1:15; Joel 2:2

The Day of Clouds………………….Zephaniah 1:15; Joel 2:2

The Day of Thick Darkness…….Zephaniah 1:15; Joel 2:2

The Day of the Trumpet…………Zephaniah 1:16

The Day of Alarm…………………..Zephaniah 1:16

 

NEW TEASTAMENT TRIBULATION REFERENCES

 

The Day of the Lord……………….1 Thessalonians 5:2

The Wrath of God…………………..Revelation 14:10,19; 15:1,7; 16:1

The Hour of Trial…………………...Revelation 3:10

The Great Day of the

Wrath of the Lamb of God………Revelation 6:16-17

The Wrath to Come………………..1 Thessalonians 1:10

The Wrath……………………………..1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 11:18

The Great Tribulation…………….Matthew 24:21; Revelation 2:22; 7:14

The Tribulation……………………..Matthew 24:29

The Hour of Judgment……….......Revelation 14:7

 

The details provided in all these Bible passages make it obvious that this is a future event, for no such period has yet occurred in human history. What’s more, Jesus Himself said the Great Tribulation would take place just before His glorious appearing. He clearly said in His Olivet Discourse, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days…the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky; and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:29-30).

 

The prophet Daniel prophesied that the Tribulation would be seven years. Seventy heptads or seven-year periods were determined upon the people of God, the nation of Israel (Daniel 9:24-27), which means seventy times seven or 490 years. The 490-year period has three divisions: seven heptads, or 49 years, to restore the wall of Jerusalem; 62 heptads, or 434 years until “Messiah will be cut off” (Christ’s crucifixion…Daniel 9:26); and then seven final years that have not yet been fulfilled. Israel has been on prophetic “hold” for almost 2000 years, but someday it will go through that final seven-year period.

​

Jesus predicted that, due to its severity, the Tribulation would be shortened. The reason the Tribulation will be a holocaust of major proportions is because it combines the wrath of God, the fury of Satan, and the evil nature of man run wild.

​

Take the horror of every war since time began, throw in every natural disaster in recorded history, and cast off all restraints so that the unspeakable hatred and cruelty and injustice of man toward his fellow men can fully mature, and compress that into a period of seven years. Even if you could imagine such a terrifying period, it wouldn’t approach the mind-boggling fright and turmoil of the Tribulation.

 

So why a period of Tribulation?

 

Everything God does has one or more purposes, and that’s true about the Tribulation. In Scripture we can find at least four purposes for the Tribulation. They are as follows:

 

To Bring Time to an End. When introducing the events that culminate with the Tribulation and return of Christ, Daniel spoke of the consummation of time as “bringing in everlasting righteousness” (Dan 9:24). The Tribulation is a fitting consummation of the grand experiment from Adam to the second coming, which gave individuals an opportunity to worship God voluntarily.

​

To Fulfill Israel’s Prophecies. Many prophecies about Israel have yet to be fulfilled. The Jewish people’s return to the land during the last century and their recognition as a nation in 1948 is only one (described in detail in Ezekiel 36-37). Other prophecies, such as the rebuilding of the Temple and the renewal of the Temple sacrifices will be fulfilled during the Tribulation. God is not done with Israel.

​

To Shake Man from His False Sense of Security. A stable world leads man to think that he can function independently of god. Earthquakes, plagues, and other physical phenomena from God will so shake man’s natural confidence that, when he hears the gospel through the preaching of the 144,000 witnesses, he will be more open to its offer of forgiveness and grace.

​

To Force man to Choose Between Christ and Antichrist. One major purpose of the Tribulation is to give the billions of individuals living at that time seven years of opportunity in which to make up their minds to receive or reject Christ. Billions of people will not have an opportunity to live out their normal lifespan, so amid these traumatic events, they will make an eternal decision. If they choose Christ, they will, as “servants of our God”, receive the mark of the Father on their foreheads (Rev. 7:3). But they will then be “open season” for martyrdom at the hands of the religious system of Babylon, the government leaders headed by Antichrist, the False Prophet, and the people whose lust for sin is surpassed only by their hatred for Christians. It is doubtful many Tribulation saints will survive to the Millennium. If, on the other hand, people accept the Antichrist, they will have the mark of the beast placed on their foreheads and hands. This seems to be a final, irrevocable decision.

 

It is difficult for non-Christians to understand that a God of love would allow the Tribulation. But God wants to draw as many people as possible to Him before Jesus returns to set up His Millennial kingdom, and He will use the Tribulation to get their attention. In grace and love, He will give more supernatural signs and leading of His Spirit that at any time in the history of the world, proving that He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

 

Consider the incredible efforts God will expend to help man make the right decision:

 

He will pour out His Spirit on man as in the Day of Pentecost (Joel 2:28-32).[1]

 

He will commission 144,000 Jewish witnesses like the apostle Paul (Revelation 7).

 

He will shake man’s false sense of security through three massive earthquakes and many chaotic plagues.

 

He will send two Old Testament prophets to testify in Jerusalem with supernatural power (Revelation 11).

 

He will send an angel who proclaims the everlasting gospel “to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people” (Revelation 14:6).

 

God will do this to make sure everyone hears the gospel and can make a deliberate choice to receive his son and be saved. That is the only time in the Bible when an angel is used for such a task.

 

With all these loving efforts to draw people to salvation, the world will witness the greatest soul harvest in human history. Revelation 7:9 tells us that “a great multitude.…from every nation, and all tribes and people and tongues, will be standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands.” Who are these redeemed souls? An angel told John, “These are the ones who come out of the great Tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (verse 14). So, during the Tribulation, God will mercifully lead huge numbers of people to faith in His Son and eternal life.

 

As far as to when the Tribulation will start in relation to the rapture, we need to keep in mind that the Tribulation 7-year clock doesn’t start ticking at the rapture, it starts ticking when the Antichrist signs the peace seven year covenant with Israel. There could be some period of time between the rapture and the start of the Tribulation, and a scholar named Arnold Fruchtenbaum has laid out the best concept of this. It has to do with the battle of Gog and Magog described in Ezekiel 39-39 and its timing. This is not the battle of Armageddon – it precedes it by some indefinite period of time. It states in Ezekiel that after the battle, seven months are required to bury the dead and seven years are needed to burn the weapons. In the second half of the Tribulation, the Jews are fleeing and being persecuted, so they cannot be burying the dead at that time. And the seven years needed to burn all the weapons doesn’t make any sense unless it is done before mid-Tribulation. Any view other than the one that stipulates that the rapture must precede the Tribulation by some period of time, probably years, would have the burning of the weapons beyond the seven-year Tribulation and into the Millennium. I believe that is a non-starter. The only view that accounts for all the facts is one that states there is some period of time between the rapture and the start of the Tribulation.

 

The Opening of The Seals

 

So with this overview now complete, we can proceed with the seal judgments described in chapter five. Verse one states, “And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.” The heavenly seal has writing inside and on the back of it. Scrolls written on the inside were called and recto and those written on the outside were called verso. Scrolls written on the front and back were called opisthograph. At times, ancient wills of the rich were sealed with seven seals (for instance Caesar Augustus and Vespasian), and this scroll must be opened by and important person. As Tim LaHaye notices, “In the ancient world, seals were used to close up a scroll. Hot wax was dripped onto the closed scroll, then the sender’s signet ring was pressed into the wax to form a mark. This seal assured that the message would not be opened before it reached the individual to whom it was sent”.

 

Contextually, Jesus must present a will or testament of his worthiness to become King of kings, taking control of world governments. While there is some debate as to the nature of the scroll and its contents, most commentators agree that the sealed scroll is the title deed of ownership to planet earth. Therefore only Jesus Christ – the Lamb of God – is found worthy to open the seals and commence the judgments of the Tribulation.

 

Additionally, in verse six, Christ is observed in the symbolism of a lamb. Christ was called the “the Lamb of God” in John 1:29, 36 and he was crucified near Passover (see Matthew 26:17-20), Israel’s first festival, which is themed around the protective blood of the lamb (see Exodus 12). There are two possible Greek words for lamb. The Greek word amnos is used for lamb four times in the new The New Testament, referring to Christ in John 1:29, 36; Acts 8:32; 1 Peter 1:19. Throughout Revelation, when identifying Christ as the Lamb, the Greek word is arnion, which is used to describe a pet lamb selected during the Passover service. The Greek word for slain here in Rev. 5:6 means “to butcher, to slaughter, or to slay in a violent manner”, referring to Christ’s violent death by crucifixion. The seven horns can represent Christ’s authority over the seven churches, and the seven eyes indicate that he is ever watching the seven churches and all churches in future generations. The “seven Spirits of God” are the seven manifestations of the Messiah, recorded in Isaiah 11:2.

 

Verse eight refers to the “golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the saints”. The twenty-four elders have vials used to store the prayers of the saints. In the Old Testament, incense was offered on the golden altar twice a day with the belief that the words of the prayers gathered over the altar ascended upward to God along with the holy incense. When believers pray, our prayers ascend upward and are ever present before God’s throne, being stored, as indicated here, in golden vials. Revelation eight tells us that the time will come when all prayers of all saints will be offered at once before God from the golden altar in heaven.

 

Chapter 6

 

Synopsis of the judgments of the Tribulation:

 

The seal judgments cover the first quarter or about 21 months, during which the Antichrist comes on the scene and conquers the world by diplomacy. Then the breaking of the seventh seal introduces the seven trumpet judgments, which will cause even greater catastrophes to come to the earth. When Satan indwells Antichrist in the middle of the Tribulation, that introduces the last 1260 days or three and a half years, which is the “great tribulation”. The seventh trumpet, like the seventh seal, does nothing but introduce the seven bowl judgments, which are the severest of all judgments.

 

The first four seals release four spirit horsemen upon the earth: the white horse (v. 2), the red horse (v. 4), the black horse (v. 5), and the pale horse (v. 8). The white horseman is not Christ, but is interpreted as the appearing of the Antichrist, who breaks on the scene initiating a false covenant of peace and security (see Dan. 8:25; 9:27; 1 Thess. 5:3). We read that he is wearing a crown, but the fact that he does not have arrows for his bow indicates he will conquer the world’s governments by peaceful diplomacy rather than military might.[2]

​

The second broken seal brings forth the red horseman who has authority to take peace from the earth using a great sword, which is war. When the third seal is broken, the black horse of famine sweeps the planet, limiting food supplies. In terms of measuring the grains, one measure (v. 6) is about one and a half pint – a day’s ration in John’s time. The Greek word for penny (v. 6) is denarion, a coin used as payment for a normal full day’s work, and it usually provided twelve to fifteen times more grain in good times than in bad times. The normal measure of barley was twenty-four measures for one denarius, but here only three measures are available for one denarius. The scales represent food rationing since wars and famine bring in shortages. This famine does not impact wine (grape vineyards) and oil (olive trees). This famine can be the result of numerous wars, pollution, and destruction of the land, lack of rain for 42 months (see Rev. 11:6), or numerous natural disasters (see Rev. 16:12). The fourth seal brings forth the pale horse and rider. The Greek word for pale in v.8 is chloros, meaning a pale green color. Sword (war), hunger (famine), and beasts bring death to a fourth of the world’s population (v.8).

 

Evidently, 25 percent of the world’s population will die during the first week of the Tribulation. When the fifth seal is broken, martyrs of the Tribulation will cry out to God for revenge upon those unbelievers who killed them. They are told that the time for vengeance has not yet come, but it will. The passage mentions that more martyrs are yet to come. Their prayer of vengeance is finally answered in Revelation 16: 4-7 during the third bowl judgment.

 

When the sixth seal is opened, six things happen:

 1) a great earthquake;

 2) the sun is blacked out;

 3) the moon becomes like blood;

4) the stars fall to earth (probably asteroids);

 5) the sky tears apart like a scroll; and

 6) every mountain and island are moved out of place.

 

And instead of acknowledging God’s vengeance and repenting, this will lead many people toward even further rebellion against God. They will pray to the rocks and mountains to “fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb”.

 

The seventh seal introduces the next series of seven judgments, known as the trumpet judgments.

 

 

 

Foot Notes

​

[7] These living creatures also represent the animal world. The lion represents the wild beasts, the calf represents domesticated beasts, the eagle represents birds, and man is the head of all creation. Note that there is no mention of fish. In the new heaven and the new earth, there will be no more sea, and since there is no sea, you will not need any fish. Nor will there be reptiles. The serpent will not be there to introduce sin as he did at the beginning.

​

[8] I believe this could also happen prior to the rapture.

​

[9] Attempts to determine the symbolism of the rider on the white horse have given rise to many differences of opinion. Many commentators in the past took the view that the rider represents Christ. This would be difficult for the Lord Jesus to do, as He is the One opening the seals and would have to make a quick change, mount a horse, then come riding forth. Most of the contemporary Bible expositors of the premillennial school say that the white horse and the rider is Antichrist.

​

​

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​